It was the hands of a true craftsman—steady, delicate and in control. What we saw in Ugu Bigyan’s house was not only his creations, but also a real life demonstration from one of his workers. I was impressed by what he did; in a matter of seconds, he is able to mold the clay into uniform sizes and shapes. According to him, the pots would then be glazed by Ugu Bigyan. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get his name, but we were grateful enough that he let us have our first experience of molding clay pots. And thus, I wore manong’s apron, and got my hands down and dirty... Step #1: Place the clay on the revolving pottery wheels. Dip your hands on the water, and sprinkle some on the clay itself. But not too much!
Step #2: Start molding the clay by putting your hands on both sides of the clay. Use your thumb to make a hole on top. This will serve as the opening of your pot.
Tip: Make your hands steady so that your clay won’t get out of form; too much force will ruin the shape, and when it does, it becomes harder to control and what you can only do is panic! :)
Step #3: Use your fingers to form the shape of the clay. Use your thumbs to further widen the opening of your pot. When you have achieved your desired shape, remove the clay by slowly pulling the bottom part of your pot. These are the three steps to making pottery, based on what we—amateurs—did. It might look easy, but really, it’s not. I was one of the last to try so I have seen what to do and what not to do from observing my friends (in their failures). But even so, observing is definitely different from really experiencing it. This task requires a lot of learning, that is, learning by doing again and again and again. It is also a task of patience—in waiting for the clay to follow the control of your hands, and also for the clay to take its shape. Truly, this is an experience not to miss in Tiaong Quezon. Visit Ugu Bigyan’s house and experience mud and pottery.
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